Father, who claimed he left his 5-month-old son alone just for an hour and returned to find him purple in the face, only for cops to find strangulation marks on his neck, was arrested
New Mexico – In a deeply disturbing case out of New Mexico, a 35-year-old father, identified as J. White, has been arrested and charged following the suspicious death of his infant son. White is now facing two felony charges — child abuse resulting in death and abandonment of a child resulting in death — after police discovered the lifeless body of his 5-month-old son in what authorities described as a dangerously filthy and neglectful home.
The tragedy began to unfold on Sunday afternoon around 2 p.m., when local police responded to an emergency call regarding an unresponsive infant at a residence. When officers arrived, they found the baby lying motionless on a couch. He was rushed to a hospital but was pronounced dead less than an hour later at 2:42 p.m.
From the outset, law enforcement noted disturbing inconsistencies between White’s account and the evidence. According to White, he had left his infant son alone in a bouncer while he visited a friend for about an hour. Upon returning home, he claimed he found the child “purple in the face.” However, authorities quickly realized the child had been dead for significantly longer than White suggested. Investigators noted the baby was already in full rigor mortis, a condition that typically takes hours to set in and just as long to fade.
“The main thing about that is the condition that the body was in when we started our investigation didn’t match what the statements were about him being dead for about an hour or so,” police told local reporters. The criminal complaint revealed that rigor mortis had already started to release by the time the baby was transported, which, based on medical science, suggested the death occurred at least six to eight hours before the emergency call was placed.
A woman who had been at the home initially backed White’s version of events. She told police she found the baby face down in a tipped-over bouncer and immediately called for help. However, her story later shifted dramatically. The woman eventually admitted to investigators that she had witnessed White strangling the infant earlier that morning. “[She] observed White to have wrapped [the child] into a blanket … she then saw White lift [the child] into the air by his neck while still being wrapped in the blanket,” the affidavit states. “[She] described White to have both hands wrapped around [the child’s] neck and to have been strangling him.”
She told investigators she didn’t intervene at the time because she was afraid that White would harm her too. According to her account, the abuse began after the child started crying around 1 a.m. Police later confirmed visible marks on the infant’s neck consistent with strangulation. The investigation revealed appalling living conditions inside the home. Officers found a second child, alive but neglected, sleeping on a soaked mattress. That child had severe diaper rash. In another room, police discovered dog feces littering the floor, a baby bottle with a cockroach inside, and a generally unsanitary environment unfit for children.
Authorities also discovered drug paraphernalia scattered throughout the home. Officers described the property as “completely unsanitary and a possible health risk.” Reports noted that White appeared to be mentally and emotionally unstable, displaying erratic behavior — from speaking calmly on the phone to breaking down into sudden emotional outbursts.
White was arrested and booked into the county detention center, where he remains held without bond. A second child has since been removed from the home and placed in protective custody. Authorities have not yet released information on whether additional charges will be brought as the investigation continues. Law enforcement officials said they are still gathering evidence and interviewing additional witnesses in what has become one of the most troubling child abuse cases in the area’s recent memory. As the community reels from the loss, authorities emphasize the importance of reporting suspected abuse and ensuring that children in distress receive help before it’s too late.
